Marmalade – A Bittersweet Cookbook

Sarah Randell is the food director of Sainsbury’s magazine, and she has written a comprehensive and useful compendium for making and using every type of marmalade imaginable – “Marmalade – a bittersweet cookbook” is published by Saltyard Books {an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton, part of Hachette.}.

Retailing at £20, you won’t find a more useful marmalade guide for the homemade larder – in an era when cooks are becoming increasingly interested in preserving and using jams, jellies and marmalades in baking and cooking.

The work is divided into six core chapters. Firstly the author delves into the history of marmalade and its variations – from ginger and rum, to black treacle, sweet orange and lavender, lime and grapefruit, kumquat and cranberry and lemon and gin – there is so much more to making marmalade than just Seville oranges.

You do not need to purchase expensive kit to start your own homemade marmalade adventure – just basic pans, muslins, a thermometer, a funnel and spoons. Most people already have the wherewithal in their kitchens, and the internet makes buying heaps of jam jars and lids easier than ever.

The chapters that follow include simple, delicious recipes for using marmalades in cooking, from breakfast and brunch through to lunch, teatime and supper. Homemade marmalade is a hugely versatile and useful ingredient to have in the house – and this book showcases and celebrates that versatility in cooking and baking.

Savoury recipes I have earmarked for autumn gatherings include: warm bulgar wheat and watercress salad with goat’s curd and citrus dressing; roast chicken with perry, apples and kumquat and shoulder of lamb with quince, Iranian lime and a broad bean and pine nut pilaf.

Interesting pudding-teatime suggestions include cassata cheesecake, 15 minute lemon posset fruit pots, Clementine Christmas pudding and cardamom, pistachio and marmalade drizzle loaf.

Matrmalade can also be used in drinks and cocktails – teamed with gin, Noilly Prat, Cointreau, Champagne and fruit juice.

Beautifully photographed, designed and produced, this book would make an excellent Christmas gift for cooks of all capabilities. Once you have tried making homemade marmalade, you will never turn back.